- MONDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) — A molecule that uses a cellular
recycling process called autophagy to kill cancer cells has been
identified by Stanford University researchers.

Autophagy is normally used by cells to conserve resources during times
of stress.

“Increasing evidence implicates a role for autophagy in cancer, but it
is not well understood how cellular and environmental cues drive
authophagic cells down survival or death pathways,” study senior author
Dr. Amato J. Giaccia said in a prepared statement.

In this study, Giaccia and his colleagues focused on renal cell
carcinoma (RCC), the most common form of kidney cancer. In most cases, RCC
is caused by a mutation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor
gene and often fails to respond to treatment.

“Since RCCs have a poor prognosis and are refractory to standard
chemotherapy, there is a need to develop new therapies for kidney cancer,”
Giaccia said.

The researchers searched for molecules that could destroy VHL-deficient
kidney cancer and identified a molecule called STF-62247, which enhanced
autophagy in VHL-deficient cells. The molecule didn't affect cells with
normal VHL.

“We have found a small molecule that selectively induces cell death in
VHL-deficient cells, such as those that are found in kidney cancer. This
represents a paradigm shift for targeted therapy,” Giaccia said.

The study was to be published in the July 8 issue of the journal
Cancer Cell.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about kidney cancer.